Thursday, 27 October 2016

This was the fifth time
Ella had dialed the customer care number. This time she couldn’t hang up. The
voice was deep, soothing, almost irresistible. She felt like it could comfort
her, if not heal her.

“Mark?” his name
slipped from her lips, unknowingly.

“Yes ma’am, is there
anything you want to speak about? I’ll be glad to help you.”

There was a lump in her
throat. Ella wanted to speak, but the words simply lingered inside, refusing to
come out. The more she struggled to unleash them, the more unwavering they
became.

And then, seconds of
silence followed.

“Ma’am? Is everything
alright? Do you want to complain about a product you purchased from us?"Ella could only manage
to squeeze out a feeble ‘no.’

“Ma’am?”

More silence.

She wondered if he
would just cut off the call now. No, call center executives cannot do that.
They aren’t allowed to do that; she assured herself. But why isn’t he saying
anything? She seemed to be hearing her own heartbeat racing.

She could hear the
exhalation from the other end, loud and clear. Was she pissing him off?

“Is there anything that’s
bothering you, ma’am? I can sense that. I could be of help if you share.”

Smart guy! He’s
choosing his words carefully. He knows the calls are being recorded.

Ella knew she had asked
a silly question. Why on earth would a stranger divulge his personal life at
his workplace out of the blue? That too when he knows he is being tracked?

Still, somehow, this realization
seemed unacceptable. It deepened the cracks in her aching heart even more. So,
here was the bitter truth – she couldn’t say it to anyone. Not even to a
stranger. A hot drop of tear slid down her cheek.'

“Ma’am?”

She fought back to keep
her tears from falling, but couldn’t.

“Um?,” her voice shook,
the tone ill-defined.

“Are you crying?”

She couldn’t hold any
longer. Her sobs turned louder and her tears hotter.

“Mark? Can you stay on
the call? Just for a while? Please?”

“Sure thing, ma’am.”

“Thanks.”

He didn’t seem pissed
off anymore. Mark was relaxed, kind of considerate this time.

And Ella cried her
heart out. No, she didn’t want to share her story. She just wanted someone to
be there…to hear her weep at midnight, to let know that she’s in despair.

When the sobs finally
died down, Mark spoke, “Are you feeling better, ma’am?”

“Um,” Ella replied.

“Would you like to get
some sleep?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Another minute of
silence followed. Call center guys are supposed to strike great conversations,
aren’t they? What was keeping Mark so hushed?

“You know, I’ve been a
nasty person. I’ve made terrible decisions, upset everyone associated with me.
I’ve been the bad guy everywhere, hurting people who love me. I’ve loved and
lost and had revenge. A lot many times,” Ella spoke in a single breath.

“Don’t blame yourself
ma’am. We are all humans after all.”

“Do you think I’m a bad
person?”

A stranger’s opinion shouldn’t
have mattered. But, somehow, for Ella, it did, from this guy.

“Not at all, ma’am. I'm sure you are a beautiful person from inside. Not everyone has the courage to own up
their mistakes. You’re crying in the middle of the night, and that shows you
still care.”

Flattery, eh? Wasn’t he
bothered about the calls being recorded now? But it was his voice…it felt like
some sort of ecstasy pill – extremely pacifying.

“You’re not nasty,
ma’am. And she isn’t either. It’s just that…she passed away last week.”

Ella felt like she was hit
by a thousand volts of electricity. She hung up. It was like a reflex action. Without
speaking another word, without a goodbye. She was terrified. Her heart was
thumping more than ever, her hands shaking.

What if she never got a
chance to apologize?

She picked up her phone
and typed a status on her Facebook profile...

“Life’s too short for
battles and revenge, for tears and sobs. Every damage can be repaired until
death. Beyond it, we don’t know what lies.”